Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Vol. 95, Issue 27
THE
DAILY
w w w. T h e D a i l y A z t e c . c o m
AZTEC
Tw i t t e r : T h e D a i l y A z t e c
San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1913
I N S I D E T O D AY FOOD & DRINK
New option for funding crisis
SUPPER CLUBS Find out what’s for dinner at do-it-yourself all-American restaurants called supper clubs. page 2
SPORTS
SOCCER CAT San Diego State women’s soccer midfielder has had an interesting relationship with the sport. page 4
TEMPO
Peter Kluch / Staff Photographer
If passed, Assembly Bill 656 would tax oil companies to fund higher education. Alberto Torrico visited SDSU in an effort to promote and get signatures for the legislation.
BUMP IN THE NIGHT The most demanded movie of the year, “Paranormal Activity,” scares at local theaters. page 5
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EDITOR
IN CHIEF, FARYAR BORHANI 619.594.4190 EDITOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
S A R A H K O VA S H S E N I O R S TA F F W R I T E R
In another effort to fix the looming budget cuts to California’s higher education system, Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico spoke to San Diego State students and faculty yesterday about Assembly Bill 656. The stop at SDSU was part of day two of Torrico’s four-day tour to eight campuses. The bill imposes a severance tax increase on oil companies in which 100 percent of the money raised by the tax will be given to the CSU, UC and California community college systems. In addition to Torrico, Assistant Majority Whip Marty Block and California Faculty Association President Lillian Taiz spoke about AB 656 and budget concerns. Alumnus and returning film student Dainis Kiperts attended the event to learn more about AB 656. “It sounds good, but I want to
get more information on it,” Kiperts said. “I want to find out actually how, exactly where the tax is going to go to, because if it’s going to tax on oil, is it going to go to the price of gasoline? That’s what I want to know.” According to Torrico, it will not. “I know a lot of people are concerned with the fee being passed on to the consumer in the form of higher gas prices,” Torrico said. Torrico placed a provision in the proposed legislation that will penalize oil companies that raise prices as a result of the tax. When originally proposed nine months ago, the Department of Finance and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger estimated the tax would generate $1 billion per year for higher education in California. Of that $1 billion, 60 percent of the money will go to the CSU system and the other 40 percent to UC and community colleges, according to Torrico. Supporters of AB 656 at the event
feel the pressure to pass the bill, seeing it as one of few options to bring money and funding back to the higher education system in California. “Let’s hope that AB 656 does pass and we need to work now to ensure that while it’s in the committee for revenues and taxation, legislators are aware of how much support there is for the bill,” Mark Wheeler, president of the SDSU chapter of the CFA, said. “And I don’t wish to give up any hope on that.” In the effort to pass AB 656, Torrico is trying to get 100,000 people to sign support cards for the bill in 100 days, to take to Sacramento. He has also set up a Facebook group called “Fair Share for Fair Tuition” where people can learn more about AB 656 and sign one of the support cards online. In addition to AB 656, Block, who is a co-author of the bill, suggests that the state balances the budget not from taking money from education, but obtaining revenue, especially from tax loop-
holes such as the Cayman Islands tax loophole. “The state just doesn’t have money,” Block said. “People are paying much less in tax, because they’re making less, their property is worth less, they’re buying less, there’s less sales tax, so when there’s less money, you have to cut somewhere. I think education is the wrong place to cut back.” According to Taiz, if education cutbacks continue, they could potentially lead to the closing of college campuses. “Years ago, I would have said to myself, ‘No, there’s no way they would do that,’ but today, I don’t know,” Taiz said. “We’re not prepared to be the grown-ups in the room and say you know if we want these things, we have to invest in them. And honestly, if the students don’t step up and sort of lead the grown-ups out of the wilderness that got us into this mess, I’m not quite sure what will happen to these lovely buildings.”
CITY EDITOR, KEVIN MCCORMACK 619.594.7782 CITYEDITOR@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
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OF MIND EDITOR, ALLAN ACEVEDO 619.594.0509 OPINION@THEDAILYAZTEC .COM
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INDEX FOOD & DRINK............................................................2 SPORTS.............................................................................4 TEMPO.............................................................................5 CLASSIFIEDS....................................................................7 THE BACK PAGE...........................................................8
Four trophies given to Greeks at Homecoming Standards of Excellence trophies will be given out to the highestrated chapter of each of the four councils in the Greek system Saturday at Homecoming. The Standards of Excellence program, which was implemented in the 2003-2004 academic year, is aimed at improving the overall quality of the Greek system and challenging the Greek chapters to aspire toward higher performances in chapter management and programming. The Standards of Excellence program rates chapters on all aspects of operations including academic performance, personal development, leadership, campus involvement, community service and civic responsibility. The program is based on a point
system. Sororities and fraternities must maintain 60 percent of the points to be recognized as a chapter. Chapters that reach 80 percent of the points are recognized as Silver Laurel Chapters and those that reach 90 percent as Gold Laurel Chapters. In each council, the chapter that achieves the highest percentage of overall points is recognized at Homecoming with a trophy.
New Homecoming activities starting Thursday The Greek Life Activities Board has planned a set of events throughout the week leading up to Homecoming. The first event will be an oncampus “Fun Find” scavenger hunt tomorrow night, according to Jon Carbaugh, Interfraternity
Council activities director and Sigma Phi Epsilon member. The scavenger hunt will allow students to form teams and get to know one another and build unity, Carbaugh said. A pep rally will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday by the Free Speech Steps at Aztec Center. A band will be present, as well as a number of games, prizes and food items. The board will also host a tailgate leading up to the Homecoming game on Saturday. Carbaugh said the board is promoting an all-student tailgate, but will also have a Greek section on the side so Greeks can have an opportunity to invite their alumni to the event. Another “Fun Find,” a food contest and a chariot race are planned for the day of Homecoming.
Carbaugh said the board has been working on planning and organizing these events since summer. The main goal among the board of directors is to unify the Greek community and have fun, he said. “We hope to get a good turnout so people can actually have fun because that’s why we’re doing (these activities),” Carbaugh said.
Community service opportunities Carbaugh said there will be two community service events taking place this Sunday to wrap up the week. A breast cancer walk will take place at 8:30 a.m at Balboa Park followed by a beach cleanup from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ocean Beach.
—Compiled by Staff Writer Reem Nour